SIGNIFICANCE AND CONTROL OF FUNGAL DISEASES RELATED TO BIRD ROOSTS

Certain fungi have been found frequently as saprophytes in areas containing large amounts of bird excreta. These fungi have the ability to survive, multiply, and cause disease once they have entered a host. Two of these are Crypto-coccus neoformans and Histoplasma capsulatum. Both may easily become airborne and be disseminated throughout an area by the prevailing winds. C. neo-formans is commonly isolated from the excreta of pigeon habitats, and in turn has been associated with clinical cases of cryptococcosis, while blackbird roosts, harboring H. capsulatum, have been responsible for several outbreaks of histoplasmosis. When either of these fungi have become established in nature, the sites may become foci for infection and epidemics may occur if the sites are disturbed. This has led to investigation of these organisms with respect to: 1) the frequency of isolation of H. capsulatum from the soil beneath blackbird roosts in a histoplasmosis endemic area; 2) the infectivity of undisturbed roosts positive for H. capsulatum; and 3) the effectiveness of chemical decontamination of areas containing C. neoformans or H. capsulatum.

Actinocyclus ingens var. nodus : a New, Stratigraphically Useful Diatom of the Circum-North Pacific

Actinocyclus ingens var, nodus Baldauf, n, var., is a morphologically distinct variety of the Miocene diatom A. ingens Ranray. The last occurrence of this new taxon approximates the top of the lower Middle Miocene Denticula Iauta Zone in the circum-North Pacific. Its first occurrence appears to be in the lower part of the D. fauta zone and possibly lies close to the Lower Miocene-Middle Miocene boundary.